Yah, I know . . . you’ve heard that already. From a lot of people. So you’re trying to publish more “thought leadership” type content on your website. Stuff that delivers value to your targeted audience. Stuff that will help Google identify your site as an authority in your niche, and hopefully generate better rankings.

Here’s the good news: that’s one important part of a great strategy for better organic rankings.

Here’s the bad news: it’s not enough. Not by a long shot.

Sorry to break it to you, but if you’re in a competitive niche, then publishing innovative, targeted, useful content on your owned web properties is just the minimum you should be doing.

If you haven’t started helping your employees get published in external industry news sources, then you’re already behind. Your competitors are beating you to the punch, and they’re going to outrank you soon, too.

]]>http://www.philvantreuren.com/want-better-rankings-for-your-companys-website-get-your-employees-published/feed/0Why “Going Viral” Can Be Useless For Your Brandhttp://www.philvantreuren.com/why-going-viral-can-be-useless-for-your-brand/
http://www.philvantreuren.com/why-going-viral-can-be-useless-for-your-brand/#commentsWed, 28 Jan 2015 19:40:58 +0000http://www.philvantreuren.com/?p=6893READ MORE]]>Like many Facebook page administrators, I used to daydream about crafting a post that would catch fire and get shared by thousands of people. Having a post “go viral,” I thought, would lead to countless new likes for my page and dramatically increase my audience.

Well, it finally happened to me a few months ago . . . and the post was way more viral than I had hoped. It also did absolutely nothing for my brand.

Stick with me for a minute, and I’ll tell you how you can learn from my disappointment.

]]>http://www.philvantreuren.com/why-going-viral-can-be-useless-for-your-brand/feed/0STOP Buying Starbucks. Promote Your Company’s Posts Instead.http://www.philvantreuren.com/stop-buying-starbucks-promote-your-companys-posts-instead/
http://www.philvantreuren.com/stop-buying-starbucks-promote-your-companys-posts-instead/#commentsMon, 26 Jan 2015 22:08:46 +0000http://www.philvantreuren.com/?p=6890READ MORE]]>When it comes to digital marketing advice, I like articles that provide actual research and data on user behavior. Nothing like real numbers to show brands exactly what works — and what doesn’t work — on social media.

]]>http://www.philvantreuren.com/stop-buying-starbucks-promote-your-companys-posts-instead/feed/0Embrace The Suck: 3 Reasons Why Negative Reviews Can Help Your Brandhttp://www.philvantreuren.com/embrace-the-suck-3-reasons-why-negative-reviews-can-help-your-brand/
http://www.philvantreuren.com/embrace-the-suck-3-reasons-why-negative-reviews-can-help-your-brand/#commentsFri, 23 Jan 2015 17:41:04 +0000http://www.philvantreuren.com/?p=6887READ MORE]]>Some of us in digital marketing are old enough — just barely — to remember a time when options were limited for anyone who wanted to broadcast a bad customer experience. Aside from word-of-mouth or writing a letter to the local paper, there just weren’t many ways to publicly voice consumer discontent.

Today, of course, online review portals and social media allow customers to quickly air grievances to a huge audience. Rather than worrying about negative online reviews and trying to make them go away, though, digitally-savvy companies are much better off embracing them.

When I was in the Army, our drill sergeants often yelled a motivational phrase at us when we were tossed into a particularly difficult task: “embrace the suck.”

Identifying employees who thrive on social media — and giving them the keys to your social channels — could help your company win in the digital arena

There are no quick wins when it comes to developing your company’s social media properties. Unless you devote a boatload of cash to paid promotion on channels like Facebook, you’ll need to be committed to a long-term strategy of posting content that consistently engages, entertains and educates your target audience.

None of that is a newsflash; even smaller companies are starting to realize the importance of being visible on social media. The savviest businesses sketch out social strategies that include goals, personas, posting schedules and content variation.